Great Customer Service?

[TBalls]

I've noticed that there seem to be a lot more threads & posts complaining about bad customer service than lauding the opposite. Care to share a positive story?

I'll start.

I'm a Zon guy through and through. I only own 3 basses (that I actively play), and they're all Zons -- 2 of them custom. I recently started experiencing some hissing issues with my '93-'94 Legacy Elite, and I figured it was time to call Zon. I left a message, and not 10 minutes later Joe calls me back. It's been a good 4-5 years since I last bought an instrument or spoke to him and he very clearly remembered me despite being a relatively small customer. I suppose in my mind I thought that since Zon has gotten much busier the odds of getting a call from Joe himself were slim to none.
The part that really hit me was when I mentioned to him that, although I was sure I'd receive a call I didn't think it would be from him, his response was that despite how crazy things have gotten, "We still need to take care of family." We talked for about 10 minutes about all sorts of stuff, and he even shared some of his thoughts about other boutique brands with me.
Just a great guy who makes great basses.

Not the most thrilling story I know, but it still made me feel appreciated & important as a customer, which is exactly the point of this thread.

[mmbongo]

I still think Zon basses are the best I've ever played. I've owned two in the past and played many others. Both of the ones I had were 5 strings and I'm just more of a 4 string guy so one day I'll have another Zon. It will be a 4 string Sonus that I'll keep the rest of my life!

[stingray96191]

I have been an Ernie Ball Music Man Player for almost 9 years now, and could be what is considered a fan boy. I recently had a new bongo bass that needed work before i recieved it, Dan at EBMM Customer service treated me like a rockstar. Shortly after that i was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Sterling Ball started a collection for me so i did not have to sell my basses, and he is building me a bass like one i had ordered before i was diagnosed. It is not all just Sterling, and EBMM but the whole community on their forum Unbelievable Customer Service...

[Zooberwerx]

I don't recall ever having a bad experience with any vendor / builder / manufacturer. Civility is the key....you get more flies with honey than vinegar. That being said, here's a list of some great folks:

*Sadowsky - Alex Picca
*Phil Kubicki - called his house by accident once
*Hipshot - Jason Ungelich (hands-down winner)
*David King
*Dave Bunker
*Geoff Gould
*Pete Skjold
*Rob Elrick
*Cliff Bordwell
*Acme - Andy Lewis
*Bob Rogue (just kidding!).....and the list goes on.

All too frequently, we're quick to complain and slow to praise.

Riis

[VroomVroom]

Nice post, Riis. Well said. I'll toss in an 'echo' for Joe Zon too. Wonderful fellow who crafts terrific instruments and unhesitatingly takes care of his customers.

Adding to the list...

*Roscoe - Gard
*Mike Lull - Paul
*Low End - Brian
*AccuGroove - Mark

...and I'm sure we could compile a very long one. IMO, good service is just a given - those who don't/can't provide it are soon overwhelmed in the marketplace by those who do/can. Obviously, there are exceptions - but a few curmudgeons aside I think any industry players with tenure have earned their positions by offering service as well as product.

[MikeBass]

A HUGE +1 on Mark from AccuGroove.

Also, Roger Hart from Genz Benz.
Talk about customer service......those guys are the best!

[Carver]

Jerzy Drozd - Bought a used Signature V, and noticed the A string was slightly quiter than the rest for some reason. I've never heard of that happening before, and it really wasn't anything more than a minor annoyance. I contacted Jerzy about it, and he explained that the bass had his 1st generation pickups in it...A couple of weeks later, I had a new set of pickups with custom pickup covers, all at no cost. Amazing..especially since it was a used bass.

Jerzy is the customer service king IMHO.

[Mark Latimour]

Guys who have given me great customer service:

1. Mark from AccuGroove (bought some used Tri112Ls and he sent me a PM welcoming me to the "family" and letting me know that if I had any questions to get in touch - that is a great gesture because they were used purchases).

2. Dave from DaveHall Amps (bought a used pedal and he was happy to talk through the pedal with me on the phone and send me the instructions promptly via email).

3. Roger (& co) from Sadowsky guitars. Always super friendly and showed me around the shop when I was in NYC. Very communicative during the build process as well.

4. Mike Tobias - always prompt to respond to emails even during hours when he should be alseep.

5. Jens Ritter - super nice guy and very happy to talk through ideas and building philsophy. He forgot to bring me straplocks with my bass and sent them to me with one of his straps thrown in.

6. Brian and the Low End - always super helpful and quick to answer emails.

7. Joel and the Grooveshoppe - again super helpful and happy to talk shop.

8. Mike from Boomerang - helped me with an issue with a used phrase sampler I bought (again, extra cool because it was used and not something I brought from them).

[jmattis]

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

All too frequently, we're quick to complain and slow to praise.

Exactly. I've had way more positive experiences than negative. That includes great service from G&L, Lakland, Mesa, Music Man, Genz Benz, Aero, Bergantino, and others.

[RTL]

Roscoe Guitars - Gard
Man, if you guys only knew how much I've bothered this guy... He helped me spec out my dream LG3005 - one annoying call/email at a time.

Aguilar Amplification - Michael (I think)
GC severely damaged (ie:dropped) my brand new DB750, and we were trying to figure out a resolution. I had some important recording sessions to do, and both SVT 4 Pro's GC loaned me kept blowing themselves up. It wasn't as easy as just having them replace the one they broke, as the DB750 was on backorder at the time, and GC had just lost their Aguilar license. Michael (I'm pretty sure that was his name) at Aguilar had GC refund my money, and directed me to a new dealer who wasn't on the list yet, who just happened to have 2 NEW IN BOX DB750's. He lived about 4 hours away from me, but was willing to deliver my DB750 TO MY DOOR on a Saturday evening so I could make my session. I felt bad about making him drive that far, so I met him halfway.
Aguilar = Awesome.

Bergantino Audio Systems - Jim Bergantino
Rushed me a new 12" for my HT322 in time for an important gig. AND threw in a set of new plastic corners for my cab for free. I did not buy the cab new.

Lakland - Brian
Easy to get a hold of, and more than happy to assist in any way he can. He helped me track down the last 55-02D in Translucent Amber that the company ever made. Had it to me in 2 weeks. I wish I would have kept it sometimes...

Warwick (Under Dana B. Goods, anyway..)
Bought a used Thumb 5 Bolt-on, the neck developed a twist. Called them up and told them I needed a new neck for it, and they sent me one for FREE, even though I was very clear that I had purchased the bass used. All I had to do was ship them the old neck. Wow.

Mesa/Boogie - (Don't remember who I talked to)
When I was a guitard, 10 years ago, I bought a used DC-5 combo from a place in New York. It arrived at my door with its effects loop return pot mashed into the chassis, making the amp cut out at random. They sent me a new pot, owners manual, and all kinds of schwag for absolutely NOTHING!

All of the above are examples of awesome.

[agedhorse]

It's heartening to see positive responses with regard to customer service within our industry. I encourage you folks to support every manufacturer that goes above and beyond to make and support their products more friendly to the customer. It's how we all grow and mature and feel good about what we are doing.

[RTL]

Originally Posted by agedhorse

It's heartening to see positive responses with regard to customer service within our industry. I encourage you folks to support every manufacturer that goes above and beyond to make and support their products more friendly to the customer. It's how we all grow and mature and feel good about what we are doing.

You guys are a prime example of extraordinary customer service, and that's one of the reasons I'm getting a Shuttle 6.0 next.

[EddieG]

Add Larry Hartke and Tommy Rosamond from USA Custom Guitars to that list. Had numerous dealings with both, and both were nothing but an absolute pleasure and a privilege to deal with.

[yellofury]

David Meadows from Audere - I did not have a traditional wire job on my Jazz and although I eventually figured it out on my own he answered my emails promptly and threw every idea in his head to get the pre to work and we exchanged emails back and forth .

Beaver Felton from Bass Central - I hear alot of things about the Grasshopper and the rest but so far I have only dealt directly with Beaver and this guy is pure class. I had a problem
with some Ohm ratings in a EDEN cabinet that I bought from them and he fixed with a LOT of trust from him as he sent me 2 brand new speakers to me before I sent mine to him.

[mmbongo]

I wanted to throw in a shout to Anthony at Eminence speakers. I've talked to him many times, he's easy to get to, and I've enjoyed our coversations and of course learned a lot!

[bassplayer7770]

I have a custom Hanewinckel 5-string. After receiving it, I realized the pickups were microphonic with lower output than I expected. Now, I have stories about two builders...

Pete Skjold - Originally, it was thought that somehow the pickup springs might have caused the microphonics, so Pete S. was very generous to offer to fix my issue so I didn't have to send the bass or pickups back to Pete H. Pete also used some of his high grade foam under the pickups when he reinstalled them. Now, he didn't necessarily work for free, so don't get any ideas, but he was extremely generous. I'm fortunate such a builder lives so close to me.

Pete Hanewinckel - After Pete S. reinstalled the pickups, there were still microphonics, so I had to send the bass back to California to Pete H. He ended up winding new pickups to be a bit hotter, and he also added a Villex Passive Rotary Tone Booster after explaining it to me. Now the pickups are dead quiet, and the PRTB is a very cool tool that has 4 settings: 0db (natural), +4db, +7db, and +10db. The settings that increase output also change the tone a bit, but not in a bad way IMO. Pete H. did all this additional work including the upgrade for my cost of shipping the bass back to him.

I also had a good experience with Don Oatman from Low Down Sound. I had originally ordered a 210 cab from him but ended up changing my order to the 15/6.5 cab. Don always answered my questions and called me a few times to make sure he had the details of my order correct. After receiving the cab, I noticed that the 15 wasn't the correct speaker (incorrect label from Eminence). Don had the correct speaker shipped to me, and FedEx picked up the old speaker a few days later. Other than installing the new 15 myself, it was about as hassle-free as could be, and I'm diggin' my LDS cab.

[pedroims]

I dont remember the names but the following are top customer service:

* Sadowsky - They replied my question within 2 days
* Norstrand - Replied my questions same day, they even send me a pickup covers for free
* MXR - They replied all my questions and replaced my carbon copy without questions
* Genz-Benz - Replied all my questions same day
*Aguilar - Replied all my questions same day
* Sweet wather - I was not sure what was the correct item for me, they help me alot,

In the other hand, I sent an email to demeter 5 months ago and still waiting for an anwser, actually I already sold the pre.

Not related to bass ..but american airlines SUCKS, cheap business class seats, you only have 2 drinks at the lounges, etc. so if you touring the world use some other airline

[jimmy rocket]

Marco @ Aguilar - I bought an Ag500sc second-hand and after FedEx kicked it halfway across the country it arrived with some issues. Marco was right on the phone with me helping to diagnose the problem and get info to a local tech to get it fixed.

Bob/Brian/Christina @ Gallien Krueger I began having problems with my MB2-500 and they immediately replaced my unit with a brand new one

[Eilif]

Lakland: I only own a 55-01, but at a Lakland open-house with a ton of USA-Lakland owners and alot of busy-ness, Leo took the time to work through potential pickup options for me even though he knew I couldn't afford to buy at that time. Also helped me locate a used set of tuners!

Kurt at Rondo: Answered my questions very promptly, and when I would up with a bass with cosmetic issues, he was quick to issue a partial refund. I probably wont' be buying any SX instruments soon, but I constantly recommend them to folks in need of a good, cheap instrument.

Avatar: Very quick to answer my questions as I mulled over what to buy. Shipped quick and when there was a glitch in production, they called me back to let me know what was up.

Traynor and Peavey: Both have very responsible service staff that call back when they say they will.

Talkbass: I've had nothing but good experiences buying from Talkbass members.

Wendler: Also very helpfull, giving friendly and detailed explanations to my questions. I'd really like to own one of his instruments someday!

[Ozonbass]

Jeff Genzler: Genz-Benz
Scott and Jamie: Birdsong

Above and beyond in terms of service.